If your slab as wet as your described, I would certainly recommend to use MVP or something similar to seal it first, then Floor Muffler, then float your engineered T&G floor on top. I want to talk a more about your floating T&G engineered flooring. These types of multiply engineered wood floorings are usually designed for glueing down application when solid hardwood flooring are not suitable to use, such as in a condo project,basement or main floor slab subfloor. So the tongue and groove are usually not milled tight enough to hold the T&G in place after the edge gluing. So the boards will tend to separate before the glue dries. If it is random length products, installation will be even harder with some boards are shorter. However most of the engineered flooring brands allow to float their flooring to cover more market or applications. To me it may not be a good choice for DIY home owners simply because they are not as easy as the traditional European style longstrip 3 ply floating wood floors to install. Even without Click Lock system, a T&G 3 ply engineered wood floors are very tight to tap the tougue into the groove. So when glue applied in the upper part of the groove, the tongue will stay tight once tapped into the groove. I guess this is the difference between an engineered wood floor and an engineered floating wood floor, which we are asked all the time by confused consumers. So the answer to your quesiton is: If the tongue and groove is tight, you can edge glue without using the strap. If not, you'd better strap them.I hope my 2 cents will help.

So since there is open space on all of the other sides of the wood, grouting will leave enough room for expansion?? I know engineered flooring isn't as susceptible to expanding/contracting. I didn't know that caulking an edge is still considered leaving a space (thought it had to be open). Does grout still allow the floor to move?? Are there any options for no transition piece if the wood floor and the tile are NOT the same height? Thank you for your response! :)

Ken, that picture looks like an accurate depiction of my sample, but Lauzon says their core material is softwood (they didn't say what it was when I asked) whereas rubberwood is a hardwood. Dumb question ... are floors constructed from a majority of softwood still considered hardwood floors? I guess I am really not willing to base my decision soley on the name recognition and reputation of the manufacturer/supplier ... I want to know exactly what it is I am getting for my money and I am curious by nature so I want to know how and why things are constructed the way they are. Thank you for the insight onto manufacturing vs. importing ... I was confused about that. Jeremy, I will make sure I ask about the required test on the concrete. We are due for an El Nino winter so this is probably a good time for moisture testing ...? I will check out the Preverco.

I am just finishing up a remodel and I also used Mirage floors. I wanted a floor with as durable a finish as possible because refinishing would be extremely difficult in my condo as I would have to vacate and move all furniture. When researching I also read that the oil finish floors are higher maintenance which is not something I was interested in. I wanted my floors to be a background for the rest of my design decisions - I have a lot of custom Quarter Sawn WHITE Oak cabinets in kitchen, dining area as well as a wall of built ins in the open den area that I use as an office. I also have wood stained doors with glass inserts. I went with their Red Oak Select & Better because I wanted to minimize knots and movement and "character". It is their natural so very light and I like the way it contrasts with my honey caramel stained white oak woodwork.